Rachel Zegler has confirmed that she will be attending this year’s Oscars ceremony after all.
Last week, the West Side Story star stunned her fans after revealing that she had not been invited to the ceremony, which takes place this Sunday (27 March).
The news sparked a backlash, with critics asking why the lead star of one of 2022’s most-nominated films was not attending. Many had called out the Academy Awards for not inviting Zegler, but it is in fact the studio (in this case Disney) who are allocated tickets and who choose which individual guests to bring.
However, Zegler has now confirmed reports that she will present an award, and therefore gets an automatic invite to the ceremony. She also revealed that Disney reshuffled its filming schedule to allow her to take a break from shooting a remake of Snow White in London.
“Well folks, I can’t believe I’m saying this but... see you on Sunday!” the 20-year-old wrote on Twitter.
“The absolutely incredible team at Disney and our Snow White producers worked some real-life magic, and I am thrilled to be able to celebrate myWest Side Story fam at the Oscars.”
Zegler said it was “not lost on her” that adjusting the schedule for the Disney film was “no small sacrifice”, and also thanked Oscars show producer Will Packer for her presenting spot.
“I'm so excited to open that shiny envelope,” she said.
“I could not be more grateful to everyone who helped make this possible. Seriously. Seriously. Now, what to wear...”
Zegler is now billed as a presenter alongside tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi, JK Simmons, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin.
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story is nominated for seven awards at this year's Oscars including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.
See the full list of nominations here.
